The Stream, January 25: Copenhagen Designs Parks To Prevent Floods

The Global Rundown

Parks designed to safely flood during heavy rainstorms are helping make a Copenhagen neighborhood more resilient to climate change. Floods from a severe winter storm inundated homes in New Jersey, and U.S. officials presented this year’s first water outlook for California. Polluted water sources and ailing infrastructure have cut water deliveries in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital. U.S. tribes in Washington state are raising concerns about a Canadian oil pipeline that could threaten fisheries.

“We are speaking directly to the Canadian regulators to highlight the risks of this pipeline to our lives, our culture, and the priceless waters of the Salish Sea.”–Brian Cladoosby, chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in Washington state, in a statement about a proposed Canadian oil pipeline expansion project that would increase the number of oil tankers moving through Washington’s waterways. U.S. tribes in the area have raised concerns about the risk of oil spills and the effect on fisheries. (Associated Press)

By The Numbers

18 percent Cut in household water deliveries last month in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Leaky infrastructure and a polluted water source threaten the city’s water supply and public health. The Herald

100 people Number rescued from inundated homes in Wildwood, New Jersey, a coastal community hit by severe floods during a winter storm that affected much of the U.S. East Coast over the weekend. Reuters

Science, Studies, And Reports

Federal reservoirs in California are currently 49 percent full, a 2 percent increase over their levels in October, according to a water outlook released by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. A bureau spokesperson said “It’s going to take a lot more,” to relieve the state’s four-year drought. Associated Press

On The Radar

A neighborhood in Copenhagen is experimenting with parks designed to turn into ponds during heavy rainfall in an effort become more resilient to climate change. The parks catch rainfall and hold it until it can flow safely through the city’s drainage system, preventing floods. Citiscope

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek